J. D. Dana — History of the Changes in Kilauea. 95 



After some days, in which there was no evidence of fires ex- 

 cept that from escaping vapors and steam, the lava reappeared ; 

 and before May, 1880,* Halema'uma'u had again become a 

 boiling and overflowing lake, pouring its streams into the great 

 central basin of the crater. 



In July of 1880, Mr. Wm. T. Brigham was again at the crater, f 

 By barometric observations he made the depth to the northeast 

 margin of the floor of the crater at the foot of the place of 

 descent 650 feet below the level of the Volcano House; and 

 the higher central portion of the floor, which was dome-shaped, 

 was found to be 350 feet above the northeast margin, making 

 the flat dome 350 feet high. 



The " tolerably regular dome" was "surmounted by four 

 lakes of an average diameter of a thousand feet." The 

 latest of the four, the southeastern, commenced to form 

 May 15th of that year, and its ban!? was in part nearly 

 on a level with the lavas ; but the others had stratified 

 walls, as is stated and figured, which were in places 100 

 feet or more in height, and from their front there were 

 frequent avalanches owing to the undermining action of 

 the active lavas beneath. These lavas were seen here and 

 there to be white-hot in the night view.. In the darkness, " a 

 large volume of gas " was observed escaping from a cluster of 

 blow-holes in the vicinity of the lakes, " which burned with a 

 bluish green flame," differing in its continuance from the flames 

 seen before by Mr. Brigham, which " seldom lasted longer than 

 a few moments." 



The four lakes replaced old Halema'uma'u. By sighting 

 from two of his monuments left from the 1865 survey, Mr. 

 Brigham obtained evidence that the area of the old lake lay 

 "in the midst of the present four lakes " instead of correspond- 

 ing with either of them. This would make the summit, of the 

 dome to be in the Halema'uma'u part of the crater, or its south- 

 ern portion, as in 1886, the dome having in fact "a very eccen- 

 tric apex." 



In 1882, Captain Dutton made his examination of Kilauea. 

 He states that after reaching the floor of the crater, he walked 

 over the uneven surface for about a mile and three-quarters, 

 and then came to a rapidly ascending slope, rising about 100 

 feet ; and from the top of it looked down on " New Lake," 

 about 480 feet long and 300 feet in width, lying between walls 

 15 to 20 feet high, situated to the northwest of Halema'uma'u. 

 This lake first appeared, he states, in May, 18814 



* Coan, this Journal, III, xx, 72, 1880; letter dated May 3-6, 1880. 

 f This volume, p. 19, 1887. 



% This Journal, III, xxv, 220, 1883, letter of Feb. 8, 1883; and U. S. Geol. 

 Report, loc. cit. 



